Hello and Welcome!

Welcome to Dan Melson's San Diego Real Estate and Mortgage Tips Website. I've been running Searchlight Crusade for about a year, and it's up to getting an average of over 2000 visits per day due to the fact that I tell the truth as I see it about the markets and everything else. This site will have the same real estate and mortgage articles, but with a local San Diego bent.

I am a very experienced loan officer and somewhat new real estate agent. It's the same license, but the skills and knowledge involved are very different. Most real estate agents who do loans just started because they could make more money off the same number of clients. I spent time with an internet loan house and did more loans than most loan officers do in twenty years in the space of two before I started learning real estate. I also have a background in the financial services industry. I know what works and what doesn't, and why.

I am not going to try to bring anyone up to a professional level of knowledge in either real estate or loans. What I am going to try to do is educate you in the mindset and what you need to know to protect yourself from the less than ethical operators out there. I am also going to have some articles of strictly local nature.

There should be a link to the MLS service off my office's website before too long; the website is currently being redone. I'm putting it up for the folks who will want that sort of thing, but the main attraction of this website will be straight talk about San Diego real estate and mortgage loans. Since I started writing about my knowledge, I've often been asked why more loan officers and agents don't have the same sort of information on their site. The answer to this is twofold. First, many of them don't know this stuff. They got into this business "shake and bake" style because they were told it was an easy way to make money, and they really don't understand what is going on, particularly not the economic factors. Second, for those who do know, if they told you the unvarnished truth it might make it harder for them to make money off of you. I'm not afraid of that. I'd rather tell you straight off if I believe it is not in your best interests to buy, sell, or refinance at this time. I believe you'll respect me for it, and quite likely send me your friends, family, and anyone else you know who would like an honest answer to the situation. Furthermore, I believe you'll likely come back to me yourself when it is a good time. Finally, for those who could do well to buy, sell, or refinance, the fact that I'm willing to give a straight "I don't think it's in your best interest" makes my recommendation carry a lot more weight when it is in favor of doing something.

Over the next couple of days, I'll have a market outlook article publish, as well as my promise to all my clients and a piece on where I believe there are significant opportunities remaining. Then roughly one hundred already written consumer knowledge essays, at a rate of one per day. I will be writing more. Strategies to protect yourself, what folks in the business really mean when they say something, how to come out as well as possible. Perhaps even a bit of humor. They are written for the generally intelligent layperson, and they pull no punches. Most of them can be read in a break at work.

As I said, my background is very strong on the loan side. I also act as an agent. I specialize more in working with potential buyers than with sellers, but I am set up for both. If you have a property you wish to sell, you could do a lot worse than bringing it to me. I'll ask you what your needs and wants are and do an honest analysis of your situation before I start making recommendations, and the recommendations I make are always tailored to your individual situation. If you're wanting to buy, even better, because I know better than almost anyone else what kinds of loans can and cannot be done, and I'll stick to showing you properties within your budget. Buyer or seller, I'm always working to get you the best possible price, and I never work both the buyer's side and seller's side of the same transaction. That way I'm always doing my best for whomever I'm representing. When I find a buyer for a property I listed, I'll refer them over to another agent. My loyalties are never split.

I do my loans, both purchase money and refinance, on a much tighter margin than almost anyone out there, and I guarantee my quotes. This means that not only am I going to give you a cheaper tradeoff on the rate and cost of the loan, but that what I tell you at the start is going to be what you end up with. I'll tell you about a loan I can deliver, not a teaser quote just to get you to sign up. You won't suddenly be paying $150 per month more than I said, or have $12,000 added to your loan above my quote. When I guarantee a quote, I'll pay the difference, not you (there are some limitations that I'll be happy to explain). I also further discount my rates if I'm acting as your agent on the purchase. It means nobody is really going to beat my rates on a purchase, and it saves both of us a lot of aggravation. I work with over eighty lenders, and most of them give me better rates than they give their own loan officers, because they don't have to pay me when I'm not doing loans. This also means I can really find the loan program that best fits your needs.

Dan Melson

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